Hypermobility Support Programme
Hypermobility Support Programme
Tai Chi and Qigong practices can be used as a method to help support the hypermobile body. Whether you live with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility Joint Syndrome, Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder or other Hypermobile Syndromes. It is possible to learn about safe whole body movements, stability and balance, fall prevention, to stabilise the joints, core control, release physical tension, mobilise the spine hips and shoulders, posture correction and improve mental health.
Join our Hypermobile Programme on Patreon. A private community of students looking to improve their quality of physical life within their unique hypermobile body. Here you will find video resources, video classes, information articles, support and connection. Learn effective techniques guided by me, instructor Nicola of Earth Balance Tai Chi. My hypermobile programme is part of the Hibernating Bear syllabus, specialising in supporting chronic illness, pain and fatigue with movement and stillness.
Common symptoms and reasons to avoid exercise with a hypermobile body
- Loose painful joints
- Weight of body feels too heavy on the joints
- Joint instability
- Tightly contracted muscles
- Un-elastic connective tissue
- Chronic and acute pain
- Several categories of pain
- Unpredictable injuries
- Chronic fatigue
- Fear of movement
- Fear of stillness
- Poor proprioception / body awareness
- Memory & processing difficulties e.g. brain fog
- Low mental health e.g. anxiety and depression
- Hypermobile people simply do not know where to start trying to help themselves
- This list is not exhaustive as everyone's hypermobile body presents differently
By learning Tai Chi and Qigong movements, you can help rebuild and stabilise your hypermobile body. It is an ongoing daily effort that takes time, patience and perseverance.
- Stabilise the joints and learn a safe range of motion
- Release inappropriate muscle contraction
- Elasticise the connective tissue
- Learn to manage chronic and acute pain
- Learn to reframe the pain experience
- Learn the benefits of breath work on the mind and body
- Become an expert in your own experience of chronic fatigue
- Learn to work with the ebb and flow of your health baseline with grace and kindness
- Learn to pace appropriately
- Develop confidence to exercise on your own
- Develop confidence and strategies to help when being still
- Improve your level of proprioception and body awareness
- Gain clarity, improve memory and processing
- Learn how your posture can be held more efficiently to use less resources
- Improve mental health via healthy distraction & tapping into mind body connection
- Learn about the absence of resistance in mind and body
- Release inner conflict
- Release the mind from expectation, performing and reframe your response
- Foster self compassion
- Find peace, softening and release within adversity
- Exercise to detox the lymph system
- Exercise to boost happy brain hormones
- Exercise to release pain relieving hormones
- Breath work to activate the vagus nerve to regulate the stress response
- Exercise to improve the functioning of all body systems
Hypermobile video classes - teaser
Stabilising & Strengthening the Pelvis
Aligning & Releasing the Shoulders
Hypermobile video classes - our growing library
Hibernating bear video programme
The video resource library for the Hibernating Bear programme aims to support anyone living with a chronic illness where symptoms centre around chronic pain, chronic fatigue and stress management. This collection of videos is in addition to the hypermobile programme and offer self care techniques for a variety of chronic health conditions:
- Chronic Fatigue
- www.patreon.com/posts/chronic-fatigue-89547694
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-98695866
- Chronic Pain
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-95046891
- Mindfulness in Stillness & Movement
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-97344671
- Body Awareness
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-96905114
- Mind Body Connection
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-94304188
- Posture & Pain
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-103044747
- The Skill of Fang Song / Applied Relaxation Part 1 and 2
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-94409953
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-103022064
- The Absence of Resistance in the Body
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-103625341
- Stabilising the Knees Part 1 and 2
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-97829019
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-98273523
- Cross Lateral Movements
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-96465363
- Regulating the Stress Response
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-96025553
- Seated 8 Pieces of Brocade Qigong
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-99168882
- Seated Tai Chi Silk Reeling
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-95421576
- Connecting the Diaphragm in Breath Work
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-94238642
- Detox the Body through Movement and Breath Work
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-99182511
- Qigong for the Shoulders - Silent Practice
- www.patreon.com/posts/qigong-for-104175428
- Qigong for the Spine - Masterclass
- www.patreon.com/posts/spine-qigong-11-104097784
- Taoist Meditation Session
- www.patreon.com/posts/hibernating-bear-95216090
Introduction to my personal and professional journey
I'm Nicola, a Tai Chi, Qigong and meditation instructor living with hypermobility. Over the years I have have little support through the NHS, as most doctors and consultants do not understand the condition, and offer little intervention outside of pharmaceutical dependence. I have spent the last 18 years studying the human body in movement and stillness to help me build strategies to cope better. For me personally, exercise is the number one strategy to help support my hypermobile body. It has been a journey of trial and error. I became an instructor to help me reframe my career to continue working and to share the benefits with others. I created the Hibernating Bear programme, passing on methods to improve quality of life, lessen the pain experience, ease fatigue and build resilience. I train students online on Zoom, via video on demand classes and through community classes on the Isle of Wight.
